英语国家概况PPT.doc

Part one The UK 一．The country and people of UK 1. Three political divisions on the island of Great Britain: England, Scotland and Wales. (1) England is in the southern part of Great Britain. It is the largest, most populous section. (2) Scotland is in the north of Great Britain. It has three natural zones (the Highlands in the north; the Central lowlands; the south Uplands) Capital: Edinburgh (3) Wales is in the west of Great Britain. Capital: Cardiff (4) Northern Ireland is the fourth region of the UK. Capital: Belfast. 2. The Commonwealth (of nations) is a free association of independent countries that were once colonies of Britain. It was founded in 1931, and has 50 member countries until 1991. 3. Geographical Features A.Geographical position of Britain: Britain is an island country surrounded by the sea. It lies in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north coast of Europe. It is separated from the rest of Europe by the English Channel in the south and the North Sea in the east. B. The north and west of Britain are mainly highlands; and the east and southeast are mostly lowlands. 4. Rivers and Lakes Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in Britain (1,343m). Severn River is the longest river in Britain (338km). Thames River is the second longest and most important river in Britain. (336km). Lough Neagh is the largest lake in Britain which is located in Northern Ireland. (396 square kilometres). River Clyde is the most important river in Scotland. Snowdonia is the highest mountain in Wales.（1,085m） 5. Climate: A. Britains favorable climate Britain has a maritime climate-winters are not too cold and summers are not too hot. It has a steady reliable rainfall throughout the whole year. The temperature varies within a small range. B. The factors influence the climate in Britain 1）The surrounding waters tend to balance the seasonal differences by heating up the land in winter and cooling it off in summer; 2）The prevailing south-west winds or the Westerlies blow over